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Power vs. Force Reflection: Abundant vs. Excessive

Abundance! Such a wonderful idea. Excess, on the other hand, ehh? Not a fan.

When resources are in abundance, it means there is more than enough for everyone, hence there is no need to hoard. Operating from an Abundance Paradigm, you understand there is always more than enough, so you consume only what you need, and you also give freely and openly. It’s a totally awesome way to live, and if you want to experience a bit of liberation, try it out. Give of yourself more and more, and freely offer yourself, your possessions, and your time to anyone who calls to you. One way I do this is by ending many of my interactions by saying, “For the record, you have my 100%, unconditional support. If you ever need anything or if you think I can help you in any way, please let me know.” Rarely do people capitalize on my offer, but I want them to know that I am here for them if they think I can help.

One time I had the pleasure of meeting Lilias Folan, also referred to by many as “The First Lady of Yoga,” and one of the very first things she said to me was, “What is it that you want and how can I help?” I was like WHOAAAAA!!! Here was one of the most famous yogis in the land offering to help me? Of course, she found me in that place where so many of us are, where we don’t truly know what we want, and so how can anyone help us? When we know what we want, we can have it, but it all begins with answering that question, “What do I most deeply desire in life? Who do I want to become? What do I want to do? What one thing would I dare to dream if I knew I could not fail?”

Lilias, by offering her help to me, clearly operated form an abundance paradigm. And the beautiful thing about abundance is that it works both ways. The more you give of yourself, the more you receive, so it’ really in our best interest to give, give, and give!

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Using the language of Excess paints a picture of Abundance in an unflattering way. Both Excess and Abundance can represent the quantity of a particular item. Let’s look at the example of bananas, and just to be specific, bananas with brown spots on them, because that’s when they’re extra delicious. So, we have 100 brown-spotted bananas on the kitchen counter – is that an abundance of bananas or an excess? If you see it as an abundance, then there is more than enough for everyone and you perceive the 100 bananas as a positive presence. You accept the bananas as they are. If, on the other hand, you perceive 100 bananas as excessive, then you’re perceiving the bananas in a negative way. If the bananas are in excess, you might begin to think of ways to get rid of some of the bananas. You might even panic and brood over the question, “What do I do with all these bananas?!?!?” Perceiving excess means there is a problem, whereas abundance means all is well. Hence, if you want to start enjoying life more, wherever you may have perceived excess, choose to see it as abundance instead. And while you’re at it, wherever you might perceive scarcity, perceive abundance instead. The more you acknowledge the abundance that is already with you in your life, the more you will attract even greater abundance into your life.